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i finished the book a bit melancholic. i always feel like this when i read anything WWII related. this one specifically made me conflicted; i was reading deep and personal information on a nazi collabo that deeply influenced the thing i'm most passionate about in life - fashion.
i can never bring myself to love chanel (the maison, the woman) as a 13 years-old me would. not only my taste has evolved, but her words and actions are hard to forgive - specially because she never faced trial, and her crimes rest peacefully under a multimillionaire empire.
i felt angry, deeply angry, through the book because sometimes i would relate to her insecurities, her desire to be loved and her fear of failure (and, sometimes, even to her extravagancies). that's the best and worst part about reading a biography; people are unforgivably human.
it's fucking uncomfortable to relate to a nazi spy and far-right anti-semitic lunatic, but that's the kind of thing you expose yourself during a reading like this. but most things she said made me want to throw up, i don't feel like forgiving her (nor i think i have such power).
it's very interesting to understand how the rich and powerful played with the life of millions of people to preserve themselves and how sometimes class is above identity; among chanel's acquaintances, there was a jewish woman and a homosexual man - both nazi spies.
i know no one asked for this review but i strongly recommend the reading for everyone who's interested in fashion or the role played by the french elite during the german occupation.
fashion is political, don't let anyone convince you otherwise - they're part of the problem.
fashion is political, don't let anyone convince you otherwise - they're part of the problem.
